Anima
by kezzla
Summary: Llyud and Filo have a perfect relationship, but when complications arise, Llyud must rise to the challenge to make the youngest sky pirate love him again. postgame FF12:RW. Rated T for violence and suggestive romantic scenes. Llyilo, mild Vaanelo
1. Prologue

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings or any of the situations or characters. They belong to Square Enix.**

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Congratulations to Llyud and Filo. I hope they find what they're looking for.

I remember us meeting Llyud, all that time ago. Quiet bloke, he was. _Is_, I should say. But now look how far they've gone, in what seems like a blink of an eye. Filo's gone off and married an aegyl, and she's moving to Lemurés with him.

How long has it been since Lemurés? I seemed to have lost track of the time, because now I look at Filo and Llyud, and I fear I missed something. Maybe I should go back and read through this logbook again, just to make sure.

_Tomaj_

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Dear Penelo,

Things couldn't be better here. Llyud's got a strange job, you'll never guess what! He's the chief of Timeless Watch! Let me explain : Ever since the fall of Feolthanos, this new religion seemed to build itself up called The New Eternal's Guardsmen. In all, they're just religious maniacs who throw themselves down in front of huge statues of auracite and pray to unnamed gods. Almost every island now has a small policing clan, like the Imperials back in Rabanastre, who keep everyone in place. Llyud is chief of our island's clan! I have to keep these next few letters short, but I promise to keep in touch!

_Filo_

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Penelo,

Not everything here sounds as nice as Dalmasca sounds right now. Llyud's position is getting worse. He barely sleeps at night, and I feel terrible. I wish there was something I could do, but he warned me I shouldn't leave our house as much as I'd like to. Not like I'd miss the sky – I'm living on it! Another short letter, but I promise the next one will be longer!

_Filo_

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I can't believe what happened to Filo! I guess I should write it here, for the record, but it's just terrible! After everything seemed to be so well for her and Llyud, the other aegyl started against them. They burned down their home, and Llyud sent her here to keep her safe. He carried her back by himself! I wonder how he managed flying so far off, carrying two bodies.

I hope Llyud's okay, going back to his home to figure out the mess.

_Penelo_

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It's been awhile since I've written in here, hasn't it? I saw what Penelo wrote about my little aegyl incident. I only worry about Llyud and how he's handling back in Lemurés. I will add how grateful I am to Vaan and Penelo for letting me stay with them. I've got a job now at Migelo's delivering things everywhere. It's decent, but I wish I were back home…

_Filo_


	2. Chapter 1

"_I'm so sorry I put you through that," Llyud whispered in her hair. He put his arms around her._

_Filo shook her head, rubbing against him. "Don't."_

_Llyud closed his eyes. "I am. I shouldn't have brought you into danger."_

_Penelo, off to the side, glanced at Vaan worriedly. _

"_Stop it," Filo said, "I was the one who insisted on an aegyl ceremony."_

_He touched the ribbon in her hair, the sign of their marriage, and nodded._

Rolling his shoulders uncomfortably, Llyud looked around the streets of Rabanstre. Vaan had just given him a shirt to wear – holes for wings and all – to guard against staring eyes. Still, people glared at his maroon wings; children pointed and laughed.

"Llyud?" called Vaan, recapturing the aegyl's attention. "Are you listening? This is really important."

He remembered the letter they sent, currently crushed in his fist, and nodded.

"Okay," Vaan moaned. "There's something wrong with Filo."

Llyud nodded again bitterly.

"She can't quite remember you," Vaan said bluntly.

Llyud sucked in his breath. It hit him like as if he smashed into an airship. He knew it had been severe, but _this_? Vaan's brusque explanation hurt. He grit his teeth as the sky pirate continued.

"Uh, we found her collapsed a couple days ago. She slept for days. But now she's awake and…"

"Doesn't remember me?" Llyud snapped. Vaan looked at his shoes.

"She remembers fighting Feolthanos and Lemurés, and all these years, but it's almost as if you've been edited out."

Llyud squirmed in place. He could not conjure the right words to say.

"I, uh, asked Baltheir and Fran to come by," Vaan informed him, "to see if they know anything. Hell, I even asked Old Dalan! He said - "

Then he shut up.

Closing his eyes, Llyud asked, "Can I see her?"

"She's actually out right now," explained the sky-pirate, "but you can come in."

He led the aegyl up to their little residence, where Penelo stood at the door. With a gasp, the blonde jumped toward Llyud, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry," she cried, pulling away. "We couldn't do anything, she just - "

She stopped, chewing her fingernail. Tears sparkled in her eyes. Llyud nodded again, apparently the movement of his chin the only thing he could do.

"We don't know what to do," Vaan sighed. "There's nothing we _can_ do."

Penelo placed a hand on the aegyl's arm. "Llyud, she doesn't even know about your marriage," she whispered. "We didn't think it would be right if we told her, considering her… _condition_."

Llyud clenched his fist and sighed deeply.

"Come on in," Penelo said, opening the door for them to enter. "I need to show you something."

Vaan nodded in agreement, following Llyud in. Penelo led them to a side room that was completely empty except for one table. On the table sat a clear bottle the size of Llyud's hand, full of orange sand.

Llyud stepped toward it, thoughtful, and Penelo muttered, "Careful," as he approached it. He pressed his hand against the warm glass and carefully opened the cork top.

Energy shot through him, and the aegyl fell to his feet. A huge snake made of the sand rose from the bottle and darted through the air toward the door. Vaan quickly slammed it shut, and Penelo jumped forward to snap the cork back over the bottle's top.

The snake dissolved in mid air, showering Llyud with sand. He blinked his watering eyes, brushing grits off his face. Penelo crouched beck to him, helping him brush off his shoulders.

"It always goes towards Filo's room," explained Vaan, moving toward the sand bottle. Even though the floor and Llyud were covered in sand, the bottle still looked as if it were full. "We found the bottle in her hand."

Llyud looked at the bottle, now in Vaan's hand. "I felt something when I opened it."

"We all did," Penelo said, standing. Llyud joined her. "I was the one who kept it open the longest – I felt as if all my emotion were pulled out of me."

"As if you had no anima," Llyud growled bitterly. "I know the feeling."

Penelo placed a comforting hand on Llyud's arm, and Vaan placed the bottle back on the table.

"Keep Filo out of this room," Llyud spat. It was so strange, saying her name when she didn't even remember his. "We can't let that thing touch her."

The sky pirates nodded in agreement, glancing at each other. "Let's get out of here," Penelo suggested, pushing Vaan and Llyud out of the bare room. They stood in the hall, by the door for a moment silently.

"Llyud, would you like - "

The door opening behind them interrupted her, and Filo entered the apartment. Llyud held his breath, rigid at the sight of her. He wanted to run to her, mold her against him, and never let her go.

But this wasn't his Filo. This was the Filo he met years again, who barely knew him. Llyud fought against his emotions, squeezing his eyes shut. He wanted _his_ Filo, his beautiful, young, talented wife.

"Hey guys," she chirped, slamming the door behind her. Llyud cringed at the noise. She noticed Llyud and murmured hesitantly, "Uh."

Penelo stepped forward. "Filo, this is - "

"Lloyd, right?" Filo interrupted, dropping the bag she had on her shoulder to the floor.

She squinted at him.

"Llyud, actually," Penelo said quietly.

"Oh." Filo smiled. "Can you believe that I forgot my skybandit here? How am I supposed to deliver goods to the Estersands if I can't fly?" she laughed. Moving into the another room, Filo reappeared with her red skybandit.

Llyud grit his teeth at the sight of it.

"How are you going to the Estersands with your skybandit?" asked Penelo, trying to make conversation.

Filo placed her board her sack and folded her arms. "Vaan totally messed with the engines of all my 'bandits. Those babies can fly as fast and as high as an airship!"

Vaan looked at Llyud nervously. He had, indeed, boosted Filo's engines so she could fly with Llyud in the clouds of Lemurés, but she wouldn't remember that now.

"So," Filo started, "how's it goin'? How long has it been since we saw you, Llyud? Years?"

Llyud's gut twisted. It had only been three weeks, but it felt like ages now.

"You know what? I think last time I saw you, I had the tiniest crush on you," Filo said lightheartedly. She playfully punched his shoulder.

Llyud caught her fist. Last time her held her hand like that, they had been play fighting, and Llyud had had the strange urge to know why humes put their lips together so much. So Llyud moved in rapidly; their lips smashed together rather uncomfortably, and he wondered what humes found so joyous in these encounters.

Then Filo moved away, her eyes sparkling, and whispered, "That's not how you do it," before kissing him back. It was gentle yet fierce, fulfilling but left Llyud desiring more. Vaan had whistled loudly, and everyone was clapping, and Llyud couldn't keep his eyes off the youngest sky pirate the rest of the night.

Now Penelo calling his name brought him to the present. "Llyud, would you like … " the white mage was asking.

Llyud gazed at Filo longingly, realizing how close they were, and how red her cheeks had gotten. How good she smelled, and how surprised and beautiful she looked. He released her hand, which dropped to her side.

"I gotta get going," Filo stammered, walking back to her things. She kept looking at

Llyud in through the corner of her eye as she headed out the door. "See ya," she called.

Llyud's shoulder's drooped as the door closed quietly behind Filo.

"Will you excuse us for one moment?" Penelo asked Llyud, grabbing Vaan's arm. "We'll be just outside." She dragged Vaan out onto their balcony, where Llyud watched them argue. The glass doors kept him from hearing their words, but he could tell there were tempers flying. Penelo's face had gone red, and Vaan was pumping his arms agitatedly. Penelo saw Llyud watching them and punched Vaan's arm to get his attention.

They both stopped, and Llyud wondered if it was safe to join them. He walked onto the porch, and Vaan and Penelo separated to have him stand between the,. They stood there silently for a while, all three leaning against the rail and looking at the city.

Vaan stared off at the Aerodome, obviously thinking about his airship _The Dragonfly_. Penelo watched the streets bustle below. Llyud stared into the horizon, wishing he were in Lemurés's comforting clouds.

"How…are you doing?" Penelo asked quietly.

"I…I…" the aegyl started. His chest began to ache. "I just don't know. She's the love of my life…and now…she…"

He stopped again. His whole body ached, like a million knives cut at him and he hung his head. "She is my anima, and I've lost it again."


	3. Chapter 2

"Where are you going?" Penelo asked, coming onto the balcony again. She placed the drinks she had gotten on a chair and folded her arms.

Vaan was helping Llyud out of his painful shirt. "I just want to be alone for a while," explained Llyud. Once out of his shirt-shaped prison, the aegyl stretched out his wings and let the wind play at the maroon feathers.

"Are you sure?" Penelo looked doubtful. "Maybe Vaan can go with you."

"Me?" asked Vaan, throwing his shirt across the railing. Penelo glared at him. "Oh, right," the sky pirate laughed nervously. "I can take one of Filo's - "

Llyud interrupted, "No." He shook his head.

"Well," supposed Penelo, "When will you be back? What if you get lost?"

"I don't get lost in the sky," Llyud laughed.

The white mage chewed her lip, thinking. "When you reach Bhujerba, you've gone too far."

"Bhujerba?" asked Llyud, confused. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Big floating city," explained Vaan, patting Llyud's shoulder.

Llyud nodded and lifted himself off the porch. He pumped his wings, feeling the muscles in his back move fluidly. "Be careful!" Penelo cried out from below him, but the aegyl was already rising above the city.

He headed south. It seemed like a reasonable direction, seeing that both to the east and west was all desert. On and on he flew, letting the wind guide him. Here, he found, the winds were unusually strong.

After a few minutes fighting against the current, Llyud saw there was a storm up ahead. Stretching out his wings, he tried to rise above it. He wanted to soar back to Lemurés, to open his arms wide to the auracite, to fall before Eternity's March and pray fervently as the religious maniacs did. Surely they found _some_ comfort acting like so?

But he remembered his oaths and position as Timeless Watch's chief.

A sigh escaped his lips, and he pushed harder with his wings. The storm system he was trying to ride above was much larger than he thought. He wanted to return to his clan and feel his emotions slip away. But…she was like his anima, and the aegyl hated being without his soul.

Or soulmate, perhaps.

_Destiny_, he thought desperately, _maybe destiny has said I do not belong to her!_

But it felt so right, just to hold her close, feel her heart beat, know that – at one point – she loved him unconditionally.

His heart seemed to burst against his chest, throbbing painfully. Llyud felt torn, and as he struggled to remain aloft, his whole body ached. The winds ripped at his wings, pushed him around forcefully, and stung his eyes. The life sapped out of him, Llyud fell.

Clouds shot past him, rain kissing his skin with moisture.

_Lemurés_, he thought longingly, _Filo_.

And lost consciousness.

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He awoke on wet sand, very much exhausted. Someone was nudging him, muttering under their breath.

"Llyud…Llyud…where's Penelo when you need her? Llyud?"

Llyud opened his eyes and nearly died at the sight.

There she stood, clothed in her Rabanastre attire. The ribbon he had given her still hung in her soft hair.

The aegyl wanted to cry, to roll over and hope she left. Still, she kept nudging him. "Hey, are you alright?"

He noticed they were both soaked, and light drops of rain were falling on them. He shivered, remembering he was shirtless. "Where am I?" he asked reluctantly. She might as well know he was alive.

Filo stood, planting her hands on her hips. "You're in Giza. Why did you fly out this way?"

Llyud looked around from his position on the ground. Her sky bandit sat not too far from him. _Giza_, he thought. It sounded familiar. "That storm…"

"The Rains."

Llyud rolled onto his stomach and up-righted himself. He couldn't remember how far he fell.

"You're lucky you survived that fall – or that I was close enough to see you," continued the young sky pirate. She sounded impatient. "Listen, I need to get this stones back to Rabanstre. They're extremely late. You coming?"

Nodding, the aegyl stood on his numb legs and followed her. His wings ached, and he wanted to speak to her. His jaw wouldn't even open, and he breathed heavily through his nose.

Llyud cringed as he walked. Wings too tired, he was forced to place his feet through large puddles and clumps of mud. Filo seemed comfortable walking through the moss and mud as rain fell on them He wondered why she was even there, or why she wasn't using her sky bandit.

He caught her glancing at him through the corners of her eyes. Staring at his feet, Llyud walked on silently.

The awkward silence continued until they reached Rabanstre. Almost immediately, Filo raced off to the North section. Llyud stood there stupidly, staring around. He still hadn't figured his way around the city. Dripping mud and rain, the aegyl wandered to the west he thought the Aerodome would be.

What seemed like hours later, Llyud finally found the large Airship station. He plopped down on the steps and looked up at the buildings that might be Vaan's home. He was downcast and weary, and had lost count of how many people stopped and stared as he wandered helplessly around the city's bazaar. With drooping eyelids, Llyud scanned the balconies above for some sort of familiarity.

Then he spotted it. That ugly brown shirt Vaan had rested against the railing was still there. Sighing, Llyud lifted himself up and drowsily flew up to the porch. Once his feet touched to balcony, he slumped down against the railing and was asleep.

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**Short chapter, I know, but I promise the next one will be better. Review, review, review, please!**


	4. Chapter 3

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**I'm a bit nervous with this chapter, after reading my lovely reviews. I hope I can keep up to everyone's expectations ; ****I trust nobody minds the different tenses. It's to show the difference between this and the rest of the story. Another random fact, but when I was originally imaging this fic, I saw Vaan in his FF Tactics 2 outfit. Just thought I'd add that :)**

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That night, fast asleep against the railing, Llyud dreamt of his wedding, and his gift for Filo afterwards.

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_Filo fought for an aegyl wedding. Llyud fought for a hume one. They decided on half of each._

_Not owning enough sky bandits for everyone, the couple decided that the audience can sit on the _Galbana_. Filo wears a hume wedding dress, an elegant gown that just covers her feet. It is long and flowing, pure snow-white and sparkling. Her hair is tied up to compliment her sleeveless dress and show off her simple silver necklace. _

_She walks – or fly in this case – up the aisle. Instead of her father, Llyud presents her, as aegyls believe in unity from the very beginning. _

_They say their vows, mixtures of aegyl and hume. They each proclaim their love, promising to stay together in sickness and in health, 'till death do them part. Filo presents Llyud with a ring, a simple gold band, and a thin black ribbon. Llyud gives his new wife a thick, white ribbon and a silver ring. Over a purifying flame, they slip the rings onto the ribbons. Llyud places Filo's in her hair, and she ties his around his neck. _

_Both an aegyl priest and a Hume wedding conductor pronounce them one, forever until the end of time._

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It takes Llyud a few minutes after they get through the door to realize there is no light in the room. He looks around to the different candles, all out, and wonders where the matches are.

Filo recaptures his attention, planting her lips against his again. Each kiss molds into the next, and the aegyl fights against throwing her onto the bed and making the young sky pirate his. Llyud pulls back just to breathe and crush her body against him. Filo runs her hands under his top shirt and lets her hands explore his muscular torso. Caressing her with his lips, he kisses every inch of her skin he can find.

Her hands go to his neck, where his ribbon sits. She tugs it gently, pulling his face back toward hers. They kiss again, hot and longing, and Filo fingers the rings around his neck. Still moving with her kiss, Llyud takes her hand in his, moving it away from the ring.

"Let's get you out of that dress," he whispers against her cheek, and she murmurs in agreement. Still kissing her neck, her shoulders, her collarbone, his hands adventure down her back and began loosening the ties. She begins to wiggle out of the dress, hands going for his belt.

Once she is almost half out, a knock comes from the door. "Are you guys alright?" asks Vaan.

Llyud looks at Filo, her skin glowing in the faint moonlight, and smiles playfully. Letting her go, the aegyl walks to the door and opens it a crack.

"Why haven't you - " begins Vaan.

"We're getting ready," answers Llyud, glancing behind him. Filo is out of sight. Vaan rolls his eyes disgustedly and leaves, footsteps echoing down the sleeping hall.

Turning back to his room, Llyud sees Filo go into the bathroom. He smiles to himself and begins peeling off his jacket and shirt. "You're going to want to put different clothes on," he calls out to Filo.

She comes out, beaming mischievously and wearing only a thin robe. "How about this?" she says seductively.

Llyud grins back. "Do you want people to see you in that?"

Filo walks over to him, wrapping her arms around his bare chest. "It matters who," she whispers. He feels the thin robe slipping off between them.

Llyud kisses her again, long and hard. He can feel her blood pounding against her skin, and smell her sweet perfume.

"Wait," she gasps, pulling back again. "Should I really change? Where are we going?"

He unwraps his arms from her body, and Filo smiles gently. She plays with the belt of her robe.

"Well," he supposes teasingly, "It'll just be you and me, but Vaan might stop in and – that wouldn't be appropriate, would it?" He cocks a humorous eyebrow.

She pecks him on the cheek and says, "I'll be right back then." Going over to the dresser, she takes out clothes and begins stripping off her robe.

Llyud sits on the bed and watches. Used to his presence, Filo winks at him and continues to dress. When she is done, she walks over to Llyud; settling on his lap in a straddle, she brushes her lips against Llyud's. As he responds, kissing her back, he places gently hands on her thighs. They gradually move up to her hips. He flips their bodies slowly so that she is lying under him.

He stands and stretches out his hand, which she grasps and lets him pull her up again.

"You look beautiful," he murmurs, and Filo blushes slightly. "Ready to go?" She nods. Closing the door softly behind them, Llyud pulls her down the hall. He presses his finger against her lips to silence her, and she grins.

He leads her to the balcony. Filo squeezes his hand and asks, "What's going on?" She looks around

"You'll find out." Llyud double checks the door behind them is closed. Extending from the deck is a very long wire, and at the end of the rope is a large sheet of objects. He continues, "Now hold onto me, and do _not_ let go."

She smiles. "Do you really think I would?" Filo replies, folding her arms around him tightly. Grabbing her waist with both arms, Llyud lifts them up, slowly at first. Filo's grip on him tightens. His wings take them across the gap, following the line. Filo gasps in surprise as Llyud places her down on the hard surface. It is her whole collection of sky bandits, tied together to create a sitting space. On the corner sits a bag, which Llyud opens.

"We've got blankets, food, drinks," rambles Llyud, pulling out assortments of objects. "Look, Vaan even packed us an extra pair of clothes."

Filo stares at him with wide, sparkling eyes. "Vaan did this?!"

Llyud lays down a blanket, arranging it cover the whole area. "Actually, it was a combination of our ideas. He fixed your engines so that they could go this high," he explains quietly.

Suddenly Filo runs up to him and hugs him fiercely. It knocks them off balance, and they both tumble down. Llyud winces slightly as his wings get pinned down, but he is preoccupied with Filo. "Be careful," he warns. "If you thrash around, you might tip us."

Filo nods, giggling quietly. "What now?" she chuckles.

"We wait." Llyud lays down gently on his back, letting his wings fold against his skin. "Sunrise is sure to come in a few hours."

"I could stay here forever."

Filo lies down next to him, head resting on his naked chest. They press themselves together, not because of the cold, but just for the mere feeling of having the other there. Filo listens to his heart pound steadily; they breathe in and out together.

Llyud plays with her hair, entwining chunks on it around his finger. Filo sighs blissfully. "Not forever," he says suddenly, thinking deeply. "You'd miss your friends, need to eat and drink… run out of things to do."

"As long as you're here, and that bag never runs out of food," she laughs, snuggling closer. "I'm sure I can think of a few things."

Llyud smiles, kisses her hair, and looks at the stars as Filo places a hand on his chest. He puts his arms on her back. There they lay, in the pure, delightful silence. Llyud thinks of his days before he ever met Filo, days without emotions. It still hurts him to think of those times. He strokes Filo's ribbon slowly, glad he had regained his anima. Around her and her alone did he feel completely whole, allowing himself to laugh and joke. He is a different aegyl near her.

"Thank you so much," Filo whispers in the silence, sitting up. "I never thought it would be like this. I imagined it going - "

She stops, blushing darkly and eying him quietly. Llyud sits up beside her, prompting her on with his eyes. "Going a little differently," she finishes tentatively.

Smiling, Llyud grabs her waist and readjusts them so that she is sitting in his lap. One hand on her waist and the other on her neck, Llyud presses his lips against hers gently. Filo pushes against him, passionate and loving. Placing his sturdy hand on her waist, the aegyl stays like that for a moment, absorbing her in.

Moving back to look into her glittering brown eyes, he tells her, "We can still have it end like that."

Filo grins and closes the space between them.

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End file.
